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The Jewish cemetery of Solingen – last witness of a past community

The Jewish cemetery of Solingen was mentioned in 1718 for the first time. The oldest gravestone dates from 1820 and the last burial took place in April 1941. Since the demolition of the synagogue in 1938 the cemetery on Estherweg is the last and only publicly visible testimony of the former Jewish community.

In the fall of 1987, the Municipal Comprehensive School of Solingen took over the sponsorship of the cemetery. Since then, it is maintained by a students‘ project group. Michael Sandmöller succeeded Wilhelm Bramann being the mentor of the group in 1990. Since 2017 Simone Sassin is leading the group. They both regulary offer public guided tours at the cemetery.

In April 2015 the school conference decided to change the school’s name to Alexander-Coppel-Gesamtschule to honor and remember Alexander Coppel, the Jewish firm owner who committed himself to the improvement of social welfare in his hometown for many years.